Collaborative InsightBrubakerHR

Gareth JonesInmateBHR

Using Social Communities To Add Value For Your Members

Why go ‘social’?

Challenges…

Grow Membership

The route to

new member

s is through

non member

s

Increasing Competitio

n!

“Due to budget constraints, the light at the end of the tunnel will be switched off until further notice.”Anonymous

Remain Relevant!

Solution…

“If membership bodies didn’t exist, and we were creating them today, they would be formed as communities with a purpose.”Me! January 2012

“The new engagement strategy is seen as the fundamental driver in the shift from authoritative voice, institute/professional centre, to a community hub, an expertise centre, an enabler, a introducer/facilitator of the connection of others. ”Jackie Orme. CEO, CIPD. March 2011

Engagement in numbers…

135,000(Total Members)

20%(‘Active’ Members)

115,000Missed Opportunities

equals

Non members

Insight

Increase Revenue Potential

Status…

Community in numbers…

26% - number of members who visited the community.

8% - number of visitors who post once a month at least.

The top post in January generated 41 comments 1138 reads

Of total visitors, 52% are new and 48% are repeat visitors

6000 unique monthly visitors

Average visit duration 16.50 compared to 5.43 for the main site

MEMBERSCOMMUNITY

INNOVATION

COLLABORATION

TRUST

FEEDBACK

NPDINSIGHT

OPENESS

ADVOCACYLOYALTY

Publishing

ResearchTraining

Membership

Events

Benefits to members…

Facilitate networking between members and non members

Provide a ‘virtual branch network’ to support the ‘offline’ branches

Integrate their membership with their other social activity.

Support knowledge sharing and case management

Deliver personalised content through a managed ‘profile’.

Food for thought…

The community is not just in the ‘community’ – increasing activity on social platforms

Harness the power of conversation – ‘conversational SEO’ can act as a powerful search

signpost

“A person like me” – the new person to trust. Dramatic rise in peer to peer dynamic

Community members spending 2.5 times the average online customer in some cases

Social media shows the biggest increase as a trusted source of information.

Companies are using community as a source of innovation from customers. Members are customers too.

Final thought…

“A ‘new and improved’ CIPD will without doubt be a participative one – joining in the conversations, responding, contributing and generally interacting with members much more intimately and frequently than we do currently. ”Re engaging Membership Through Community. Gareth Jones. October 2011

You can’t be social on the outside, if you are not social on the inside…

…the culture shift imperative

Thank you!

@garelaoswww.garethjones.mewww.brubakerhr.com

Thank you!Are members really at the heart of what you do? Or is it revenue - through fees, events, training etc.

< I ask this question because in a recent event I attended for membership body community managers, one of the overwhelming

comments was that they are having to work very hard to justify the investment in community (technology/time) to the 'board' or leadership of the organisation.

Who is your audience? Is it just the paying members? Or is there a wider professional opportunity?

< This may not be applicable for all, but for the CIPD for example, they need to consider that there are a lot of HR professionals who are not, and never will be, members in the sense they understand it today. So how do they reach that

non member audience and build their offer around it.

Are you really ready for the Collaborative/social/community movement and do you fully understand the implications for your organisation?

< Professionals are connecting online in increasing numbers. They are forming their own or joining independent communities and networks which poses a threat to membership bodes, especially those that are in the 'Qualify to shine" category.